Ever After
by Raeinspace
Summary: It's Halloween. With Gold's help, Regina has a chance to get her happy ending, even if it is temporary. Emma, feeling suspicious, catches them playing with magic. Now she's stuck in an alternate Storybrooke, trapped in the spell. With a couple of faces from their pasts, will their broken hearts finally start to heal? Rating may change for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Another new story, thought I'd try a non-SQ one for a change, after a request from vampygurl402.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc...**

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><p>Emma tore up the invitation without reading it. She didn't want to attend Storybrooke's annual Halloween celebration. Halloween made her think of death, reminded her of everyone she had ever loved…and lost. Despite the myth that the dead could return for the one night each year, she knew better. She had it good authority from various fairy tale characters that it was just that. A story. Not even the Evil Queen or the Dark One could return them to the living. Dr Whale had tried, and failed.<p>

So she told them she had to work. Her father offered to take Henry trick or treating. She agreed without needing to think about it. Since breaking the curse she had become worried about Regina. If she spent the evening staking out the mayor, that would count as work. So she borrowed a less visible car than her own yellow bug and went to see what Regina was up to.

Luckily the thought of visiting the Evil Queen at Halloween for candy was a little too scary for both children and the parents, so the street was quiet. It was an hour before she saw any movement in the house. She watched the lights move from room to room as Regina caringly switched off the ones she was no longer using. When they disappeared altogether, Emma checked her watch. It was way too early for bedtime.

She slipped quietly from the car, trying not to slam the door shut and wishing the lock didn't have to beep. Edging around the house, she checked the windows but the rooms were empty. When she looked in at the kitchen, she saw lights edging a door, which she assumed would lead to the basement of some kind. She paused. If she was going to go inside she needed a reason. Regina wouldn't appreciate her breaking and entering and there was no excuse to go in as the Sheriff.

A moment later and the lights changed colour. Emma frowned. Regina was using magic. Her gut warned her that wasn't good. She tried the back door. The handle turned. It wasn't locked. Inside the house she followed the lights to their source. She walked slowly down the wooden steps, expecting to hear one creak at any moment, but they didn't give her away. A large cabinet had been placed against the stairway blocking Regina's view of it. Emma peered around it, frowning when she realised Regina was not alone. She couldn't hear their words, but it was clear that both Regina and Rumplestiltskin were concentrating fully on their tasks. It was time to make her entrance.

"What is going on here?" she tried to sound casual.

Rumplestiltskin smiled at her, tilting his head and placing the glass object in his hand down on the table. "What are you doing here, dearie?"

Regina heard the noise and turned back to the table. She continued with whatever she had been doing before, ignoring Emma.

"Regina you know magic isn't the answer, whatever spell he has you doing for him…"

"Actually it's the other way around." Rumplestiltskin explained with a laugh. "This is a favour for her."

"We're almost finished Miss Swan, why don't you run back upstairs and return to Henry before I file charges for breaking and entering." Regina warned her without turning around.

"Your door wasn't locked and I'm the Sheriff, I was worried something might be wrong and now I see that it is…"

"Everything is fine."

"Then tell me about that spell."

"It doesn't concern you."

Emma stepped closer to the table, glaring at Rumplestiltskin to move out of her way. He laughed again and moved round to the other side of the table as Emma tried to make sense of the contents. There was no spell book to explain their task. After another hour of watching them work, she couldn't see anything that suggested dark magic of any kind, but she didn't want to leave.

"Well, that's it almost done." Rumplestiltskin muttered holding up the glass to the light before looking at Regina. "Are you still sure this is what you want?"

Emma hopped down from her seat. "What does she want? What will that do?"

Regina glanced at her watch. "You said just at the stroke of midnight?"

Trying to get between Rumplestiltskin and Regina to stop him from passing over the finished product, Emma faced Regina. "Tell me what is going on right now."

"There's nothing for you to worry about. Use your superpower and you'll know I'm telling the truth."

"Why not tell me what it is then?"

"Time, dearie." Rumplestiltskin reminded her, and suddenly Emma realised the glass jar had passed to Regina without her noticing.

She grabbed at it as Regina brought it to her lips and tilted to swallow the contents. Rumplestiltskin watched as the magic, which appeared more as ribbons of light than a liquid, shot out from the falling glass. As they flew towards Emma, the blonde's eyes widened and her body began to fall towards the ground. He reached out a hand and caught her with his magic, easing her down slowly. A few strands remained, hovering in the air. There had been enough for two doses, one his and one Regina's. He saw her realise that fact and reach for them, faster than he could. Within seconds he was lowering her body to the floor as well. It appeared he would have to wait another year before trying the spell for himself. At least this way he could study if it had any after-effects.

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><p>"What did you wish Miss Swan?"<p>

Emma woke to Regina shaking her. She pushed the older woman away and tried to stand. They were in the middle of a forest and there were leaves on her clothes. She looked around, not sure if she was still in Storybrooke. As soon as she was on her feet, Regina moved towards her again.

"Your wish, what was it? If you've messed things up for me…"

Emma looked around. "What happened?"

"You weren't supposed to…"

"I don't care." Emma shouted back at her. "Where are we and how do we get back?"

Regina sighed. "We don't. Not yet."

"Explain. Now."

"It's a Halloween spell, something Rumplestiltskin created."

"And?"

"At Halloween you can get a second chance to be with the someone you love, someone who has died."

"So, you're telling me you were trying to raise the dead?"

"Not exactly. When Whale tried it in his own land, he created a monster. We knew we couldn't bring anyone back permanently, but with good magic we could wish for a time that they had never died. We could experience a lifetime with them, the one we never got to have, the one we missed because someone took them away."

"I can't stay here. Henry needs me."

"It's only temporary. It will feel like lifetime for us here, we'll age and eventually died and that is when we'll return, as midnight strikes back in our world, at the age we left. No-one else will ever know."

"If Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One and can't age and die, wouldn't you have been stuck here forever?"

"I guess we'll never know."

"You wished for Daniel?"

"That is none of your business." Regina turned away, looking for a path to lead them out of the forest.

"If I'm going to be here too I'll find out sooner or later."

"Who did you wish for?"

"No-one, I didn't know what the spell did." Emma moved to follow Regina as she chose a direction.

"Your heart must have been thinking of someone for it to work on you."

"Nope, sorry. Everyone I love is alive."

"Everyone?"

"Do you know where we are? Is this Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest?"

"You're wasting time Miss Swan." Regina picked up her pace. "I have someone to find, and so do you."

Emma reached out to grab Regina's arm, but she was too slow, and had to settle for half-running after the ex-Queen.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma thought she had seen everything in Storybrooke, but she didn't recognise the buildings as they came into view. The trees had thinned out and there were wooden fences separating the grass from the pathway. Regina slowed as she looked around, then raised a hand to her mouth as she looked ahead. There was a man walking between the buildings, his back to them, but Regina recognised him. With his name whispering from her lips she ran towards him. Emma came to a halt and just watched the reunion. As Daniel wrapped his arms around Regina's waist and lifted her into the air for a kiss, Emma smiled.

There was no one she loved in that way as much as Regina loved Daniel. She wondered if Regina had been wrong about the spell. None of her past boyfriends had ever made her feel head-over-heels in love. The closest she had come was Neal, but after the way that had ended, the sense of betrayal turned those feelings to ash. She felt a little sad that she had never loved or had someone love her the way Regina loved Daniel.

Leaning against a fencepost, she observed the couple heading into one of the buildings, which she now realised, must be stables. She should give them some time alone. After all this time without Daniel, Regina would not appreciate any interruption. She had two options; wait around for some sign Regina cared to talk to her or try and head into town. Shrugging to herself, Emma stepped away from the fencepost. Even though they led towards more trees, she decided to follow the dirt tracks in the hope that they would lead her back to civilisation.

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><p>Keeping one eye on the ground to avoid any trip hazards, Emma smiled as she heard the sounds of cars driving nearby. She was nearly out of the woods. Racing forwards as she came to final line of trees, she could finally pick out some familiar sights.<p>

She wasn't sure why, but without thinking about where she was going, her feet led her into the town and towards the clock tower. Looking up, she saw the hands were stuck at 8:15. What was so important about that time?

"Welcome to Storybrooke."

Emma's heart nearly stopped beating in her chest at the familiar accent. She turned slowly, taking the time to remind herself that it was just a spell. None of this was real. Graham was dead.

Except that the Sheriff was standing right in front of her, a grin on his face, the Sheriff's badge on his jacket and…

"You're alive."

She wanted to reach out and confirm it for herself, but she knew her words had probably made her sound crazy. How much did Graham know? Did Regina's spell allow him to remember her or would be it as it was before, with his heart out of his chest and no memory of his past life?

"Are you alright, Miss?" Graham had lost his smile and was looking at her with some concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."

"Can I help you with anything? My name is Graham and I'm the Sheriff here."

Inwardly she groaned. "I know."

"Have we met before?"

"I only meant that you're wearing the Sheriff's badge." She pointed out.

"Ah, right. Well, if you're new to town…"

"Not exactly."

She didn't understand why, but teasing Graham suddenly seemed like it could be a lot of fun. Before he had always been flirting with her, but now she had a chance to flirt back. After all, who could it hurt? None of this was real. Regina herself said it was temporary and that they would eventually return to their own reality. Back in the real Storybrooke Graham had been sleeping with Regina and getting between them had just made things worse. She shook her head as she remembered watching him climb out of Regina's bedroom window. It was still too strange an idea. In this world, Graham might still be single and Regina clearly had another in her sight for romance.

Perhaps this Graham wouldn't want to kiss her just to get his memories back. On the other hand, she didn't intend to fall in love with a ghost. That might be Regina's reason for being here, but she had arrived by accident. She wanted to get home to her family.

"Will you be staying locally?" Graham asked when she had been silent for a while.

"Granny's B&B was recommended to me, but camping in the forest could be fun too. I bet you're the type of man who likes the outdoors, perhaps you could suggest the best place to go?"

"Did you bring any camping equipment with you?"

"No."

"Then I suggest the B&B."

"Would you mind showing me the way?" She slipped her arm through his. "I'd hate to get lost."

Graham was too polite to pull away and Emma found herself being escorted into the town. Hopefully this world would provide the things she needed – Graham hadn't queried her lack of luggage.

When he tried to leave at the B&B, she offered to buy him a drink as a thank you for his help. He apologised, explaining he was on duty, but Emma wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"When is your shift over?"

"Not for hours."

"Why don't I meet you at the Rabbit Hole at eight?" she suggested, quickly opening the front door and slipping inside before he could turn her down again.

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><p>Ruby was at the front desk, filing one of her nails and looking thoroughly bored. At the sound of the door closing she looked up and was astonished to see a stranger. No-one new ever came to Storybrooke.<p>

"I'd like a room please." Emma approached cautiously, reminding herself not to call her friend by name, as this Ruby wouldn't know her.

"Sure." Ruby pulled out a dusty old book and opened it on the counter. "Any preferences? We have plenty of choice at the moment."

Emma asked for her old room – obviously not calling it that, just remembering what Granny had offered the first time she came here. "I don't suppose any bags have turned up for me?"

"I don't think so…" Ruby's gaze flicked down to the name Emma had signed in under. "Miss Swan."

"Call me Emma."

The brunette smiled at her. "I'd have to check with Granny. I'm Ruby by the way."

"Nice to meet you."


End file.
